The Northwest and Northcentral have seen an emerging threat that has engulfed the socio-economic activities of the regions. The regions have large untapped deposits of solid mineral resources, lead, tin and zinc in commercial quantities has now attracted criminals causing mayhem in the region.

For decades, several communities endowed with huge mineral resources in Niger and Zamfara states have been engaging in local mining as their second source of livelihood after farming. Every household in these communities is actively engaged in one form of mining or the other.

Many may argue on How Illegal Mining is the driving force to banditry as against kidnapping. The truth is Banditry has opened a lot of discoveries and emerging threats to our socio-economic stability as a nation. In the past, Banditry started as cattle rustling, which grew into ethnic crisis, kidnapping, and now operating as a miner or providing security for illegal miners.

Banditry is a very complex crime in Nigeria for example there are some bandits’ groups who specialize in just kidnapping their victims but lack the will or manpower to negotiate or continue to hold their victims, they are known as YAR TARGET, they instead sell their victims to other bandits group who then start a new negotiation and will immediately increase the price of their demands. 

While we have some bandits groups whose job description is to provide security to illegal miners hoping to get paid by the proceeds recovered from the mining sites, they then use these proceeds to buy arms and ammunition and also use that to expand their territory, some of these group also kidnap locals and force them to work on the mining sites example of these bandit leaders is Halilu Sububu who has ties with different criminal elements in Nigeria and in Sahel region. Whenever bandits asked for ransom from those whom they rustled their cattle or kidnapped their relations, relatives of their victims always requested to be given some days to enable them to sell their gold to pay.

Thereafter, bandits got to know that most of those who promptly paid ransom on behalf of their abducted family members or relations were from the gold mining families. Gradually, the bandits started using informants among the locals to know who had gold or any expensive mineral in the communities so that the person’s relations would be their target for abduction. Soon, the bandits got attracted to mining after realising that a lot of money was being made from it.

Today, most of the mining sites in Zamfara and Niger are owned or controlled by bandits’ leaders. One of the notorious bandit leaders, Kachalla Halilu, who allegedly got gold worth N150 million in Kanye village in Zamfara State, is now believed to focus more on mining than banditry. Dozens of local miners are currently said to be working for him at various mining sites across the state.

According to investigation, residents of some mining communities alleged that the bandit leaders, Bello Turji and Ado Alleiro, allegedly own mining sites in Maru, Bukkuyyum, Maradun and Tsafe LGAs of Zamfara State. Clarifying the relationship between mining and banditry, the residents explained that while abductions and attacks on villages have continued unabated, they never heard of any mining site being attacked.

Despite the incessant terrorist attacks on communities in Niger State, illegal mining activities also continue undisturbed in minerals-endowed LGAs of Shiroro, Munya, Rafi, Paikoro, Mariga, Mashegu and Kontagora – without suffering an attack or its threat. The only attack on a mining site was that of June 29, 2022, in Ajata-Aboki, Gurmana ward of Shiroro LGA, during which four Chinese nationals were kidnapped, and no fewer than 43 lives were reportedly lost. The attack was attributed to an alleged breach of agreement by the company’s managers.

 NEGATIVE IMPACT

The negative impact of illegal mining on the environment includes erosion, the formation of sinkholes, a loss of biodiversity and contamination of the soil, groundwater, and surface water. These have raised health risks resulting in the death of humans and livestock.

Four hundred children died of lead poisoning in Zamfara state in 2010; many more perished in Pandogari and Shikira villages in the Kagara Emirate Council of Niger state, where illegal mining had contaminated the water.

Another negative impact of illegal mining on the environment is that it poses economic challenges for Nigeria. In 2019, the minister of mines and steel development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, reported that between 2016 and 2018, Nigeria lost N353 billion (over US$900 million) to the activities of illegal miners and smuggling syndicates.